diff --git a/src/performancetest/java/teetime/examples/recordReader/RecordReaderConfiguration.java b/src/performancetest/java/teetime/examples/recordReader/RecordReaderConfiguration.java
index 6c9850580a9076cfae51cd69b018a2b2fc8f4a3b..252a8681a2b97ee9bd00d024f4d39baa6bc92194 100644
--- a/src/performancetest/java/teetime/examples/recordReader/RecordReaderConfiguration.java
+++ b/src/performancetest/java/teetime/examples/recordReader/RecordReaderConfiguration.java
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ public class RecordReaderConfiguration extends Configuration {
 
 	private void buildConfiguration() {
 		final AbstractStage producerPipeline = this.buildProducerPipeline();
-		declareActive(producerPipeline);
+		producerPipeline.declareActive();
 	}
 
 	private AbstractStage buildProducerPipeline() {
diff --git a/src/performancetest/java/teetime/examples/traceReading/TcpTraceLoggingExtAnalysisConfiguration.java b/src/performancetest/java/teetime/examples/traceReading/TcpTraceLoggingExtAnalysisConfiguration.java
index d624114a3720e59a7c1bc9f788eddf703767acea..6bbd6ceccdf7e8116debcc13bfd35c0201ecd82a 100644
--- a/src/performancetest/java/teetime/examples/traceReading/TcpTraceLoggingExtAnalysisConfiguration.java
+++ b/src/performancetest/java/teetime/examples/traceReading/TcpTraceLoggingExtAnalysisConfiguration.java
@@ -40,9 +40,9 @@ public class TcpTraceLoggingExtAnalysisConfiguration extends Configuration {
 
 	private void init() {
 		final Pipeline<Distributor<Long>> clockPipeline = this.buildClockPipeline(1000);
-		declareActive(clockPipeline.getFirstStage());
+		clockPipeline.getFirstStage().declareActive();
 		final AbstractStage tcpPipeline = this.buildTcpPipeline(clockPipeline.getLastStage());
-		declareActive(tcpPipeline);
+		tcpPipeline.declareActive();
 	}
 
 	private Pipeline<Distributor<Long>> buildClockPipeline(final long intervalDelayInMs) {
diff --git a/src/performancetest/java/teetime/examples/traceReconstruction/TcpTraceReconstructionConf.java b/src/performancetest/java/teetime/examples/traceReconstruction/TcpTraceReconstructionConf.java
index c84dd0a1810290ffa47894eafff056af3690bc25..9d47f91aaed89059299da10a5a7c29640d4d4a78 100644
--- a/src/performancetest/java/teetime/examples/traceReconstruction/TcpTraceReconstructionConf.java
+++ b/src/performancetest/java/teetime/examples/traceReconstruction/TcpTraceReconstructionConf.java
@@ -54,13 +54,13 @@ public class TcpTraceReconstructionConf extends Configuration {
 
 	private void init() {
 		Pipeline<Distributor<Long>> clockStage = this.buildClockPipeline(1000);
-		declareActive(clockStage.getFirstStage());
+		clockStage.getFirstStage().declareActive();
 
 		Pipeline<Distributor<Long>> clock2Stage = this.buildClockPipeline(2000);
-		declareActive(clock2Stage.getFirstStage());
+		clock2Stage.getFirstStage().declareActive();
 
 		AbstractStage pipeline = this.buildPipeline(clockStage.getLastStage(), clock2Stage.getLastStage());
-		declareActive(pipeline);
+		pipeline.declareActive();
 	}
 
 	private Pipeline<Distributor<Long>> buildClockPipeline(final long intervalDelayInMs) {
diff --git a/src/performancetest/java/teetime/examples/traceReconstruction/TraceReconstructionConf.java b/src/performancetest/java/teetime/examples/traceReconstruction/TraceReconstructionConf.java
index 717ff484550d90ae56e94f739f07721e899f4bef..41013990e1b02e468352ef325164a92c71311bc7 100644
--- a/src/performancetest/java/teetime/examples/traceReconstruction/TraceReconstructionConf.java
+++ b/src/performancetest/java/teetime/examples/traceReconstruction/TraceReconstructionConf.java
@@ -62,10 +62,10 @@ public class TraceReconstructionConf extends Configuration {
 
 	private void init() {
 		Clock clockStage = this.buildClockPipeline();
-		declareActive(clockStage);
+		clockStage.declareActive();
 
 		AbstractStage pipeline = this.buildPipeline(clockStage);
-		declareActive(pipeline);
+		pipeline.declareActive();
 	}
 
 	private Clock buildClockPipeline() {
diff --git a/src/performancetest/java/teetime/examples/traceReconstructionWithThreads/TcpTraceReconstructionAnalysisWithThreadsConfiguration.java b/src/performancetest/java/teetime/examples/traceReconstructionWithThreads/TcpTraceReconstructionAnalysisWithThreadsConfiguration.java
index 47a284c7c76b36410b6db8fe0ccfd5a99d05855c..18517fa8e1ef332516cce25c5f8a9d963627ab96 100644
--- a/src/performancetest/java/teetime/examples/traceReconstructionWithThreads/TcpTraceReconstructionAnalysisWithThreadsConfiguration.java
+++ b/src/performancetest/java/teetime/examples/traceReconstructionWithThreads/TcpTraceReconstructionAnalysisWithThreadsConfiguration.java
@@ -91,17 +91,17 @@ public class TcpTraceReconstructionAnalysisWithThreadsConfiguration extends Conf
 
 	private void init() {
 		Pipeline<Distributor<IMonitoringRecord>> tcpPipeline = this.buildTcpPipeline();
-		declareActive(tcpPipeline.getFirstStage());
+		tcpPipeline.getFirstStage().declareActive();
 
 		Pipeline<Distributor<Long>> clockStage = this.buildClockPipeline(1000);
-		declareActive(clockStage.getFirstStage());
+		clockStage.getFirstStage().declareActive();
 
 		Pipeline<Distributor<Long>> clock2Stage = this.buildClockPipeline(2000);
-		declareActive(clock2Stage.getFirstStage());
+		clock2Stage.getFirstStage().declareActive();
 
 		for (int i = 0; i < this.numWorkerThreads; i++) {
 			AbstractStage pipeline = this.buildPipeline(tcpPipeline.getLastStage(), clockStage.getLastStage(), clock2Stage.getLastStage());
-			declareActive(pipeline);
+			pipeline.declareActive();
 		}
 	}
 
diff --git a/src/performancetest/java/teetime/examples/traceReductionWithThreads/TcpTraceReductionAnalysisWithThreadsConfiguration.java b/src/performancetest/java/teetime/examples/traceReductionWithThreads/TcpTraceReductionAnalysisWithThreadsConfiguration.java
index 606724385bb1164774ed4df6e28802a8f52371ce..5029ae83f4f6199f5fcd127446c8e3e61ff4182b 100644
--- a/src/performancetest/java/teetime/examples/traceReductionWithThreads/TcpTraceReductionAnalysisWithThreadsConfiguration.java
+++ b/src/performancetest/java/teetime/examples/traceReductionWithThreads/TcpTraceReductionAnalysisWithThreadsConfiguration.java
@@ -87,17 +87,17 @@ public class TcpTraceReductionAnalysisWithThreadsConfiguration extends Configura
 
 	private void init() {
 		final Pipeline<Distributor<IMonitoringRecord>> tcpPipeline = this.buildTcpPipeline();
-		declareActive(tcpPipeline.getFirstStage());
+		tcpPipeline.getFirstStage().declareActive();
 
 		final Pipeline<Distributor<Long>> clockStage = this.buildClockPipeline(1000);
-		declareActive(clockStage.getFirstStage());
+		clockStage.getFirstStage().declareActive();
 
 		final Pipeline<Distributor<Long>> clock2Stage = this.buildClockPipeline(5000);
-		declareActive(clock2Stage.getFirstStage());
+		clock2Stage.getFirstStage().declareActive();
 
 		for (int i = 0; i < this.numWorkerThreads; i++) {
 			final AbstractStage pipeline = this.buildPipeline(tcpPipeline, clockStage, clock2Stage);
-			declareActive(pipeline);
+			pipeline.declareActive();
 		}
 	}
 
diff --git a/src/test/java/teetime/stage/io/filesystem/Dir2RecordsFilterTest.java b/src/test/java/teetime/stage/io/filesystem/Dir2RecordsFilterTest.java
index 486bba06441487ef96a52b9c0a4e68c8be0abfb3..f202e5ee8fd565097f98ecbfd2912a8d16c4210e 100644
--- a/src/test/java/teetime/stage/io/filesystem/Dir2RecordsFilterTest.java
+++ b/src/test/java/teetime/stage/io/filesystem/Dir2RecordsFilterTest.java
@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@ public class Dir2RecordsFilterTest {
 			this.reader = new Dir2RecordsFilter(new ClassNameRegistryRepository());
 
 			connectPorts(this.producer.getOutputPort(), this.reader.getInputPort());
-			declareActive(producer);
+			producer.declareActive();
 		}
 
 		public OutputPort<IMonitoringRecord> getOutputPort() {